Botanical designation: Fragariaxc3x97ananassa Duchesne.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of strawberry (Fragariaxc3x97ananassa Duchesne) plant which is named xe2x80x98Strawberry Festivalxe2x80x99 and more particularly to a strawberry plant that is distinguished by its production of fruit that are flavorful, firm fleshed, deep red on the outside, bright red on the inside, conically shaped, and have large, showy calyces. Asexual propagation was performed at Dover, Fla. where the selection was made and plants were tested. Contrast is made to xe2x80x98Sweet Charliexe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,729) and xe2x80x98Camarosaxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,708), standard varieties, for reliable description. This new variety is a promising candidate for commercial success in that it will provide Florida growers with a variety that produces fruit that are attractive and flavorful, and maintains these qualities during and after long-distance shipment.
This strawberry plant (genotype) originated as a single plant in a strawberry breeding plot at Dover, Fla. The seed parent was xe2x80x98Rosa Lindaxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,866), a strawberry variety with a desirable fruit shape and high early season yield potential. The pollen parent was xe2x80x98Oso Grandexe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,578), a variety that can produce large, firm fiuit. The seeds resulting from the controlled hybridization were germinated in a greenhouse and the resulting seedlings were planted and allowed to produce daughter plants by asexual propagation (i.e. by runners). Two daughter plants were asexually reproduced from each seedling and were transplanted to raised beds, where they fruited. xe2x80x98Strawberry Festivalxe2x80x99 strawberry was selected for further evaluation. xe2x80x98Strawberry Festivalxe2x80x99 was selected from among.248 sibling genotypes as the 41st selection of the 1995-96 season, and thus was designated FL 95-41. It has been asexually propagated by runners, annually, and further test plantings have established that the vegetative and fruit characteristics of the propagules are identical to the initial two daughter plants.
xe2x80x98Strawberry Festivalxe2x80x99, when grown in a subtropical fall and winter climate, is set apart from all other strawberry plants by a combination of the following characteristics: vigorous plant that has a tendency to produce numerous runners in the fruiting field; long pedicels (Pedicels attached to mature primary fruit are 188 to 240 mm long.); fruit that are deep red on the outside, bright red on the inside, conically shaped, and have large, showy calyces.